Our senior cat (15 years) has started putting his feet in the water bowl. We understand that he has a depth perception problem and is creating ripples on the surface of the water to enable him to drink easier. He then steps into the litter box.

How close is the litter box to his water bowl? What about moving them farther apart, and putting a towel around the litter box to help dry his feet off before he gets in?

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Originally Posted by woofendog

I have considered purchasing a bubbling water bowl/ fountain or adding food coloring to the water. Anybody have any success in dealing with this problem. Thanks.

A water fountain is a good idea, although not all cats like them (the key is to introduce them slowly - get kitty used to drinking out of it before turning it on). It also makes it harder to gauge how much water a cat is drinking, which I think is an important clue to their health (especially older cats).

I wouldn't use food colouring. The fewer chemicals a cat ingests, the better.

Another option is to get a different style of bowl. So for instance, if you currently use a stainless steel or transparent glass one, try a dark coloured ceramic bowl instead. Or maybe one with stripes or ridges in the interior that you fill to the same line every time. Larger surface area might also help.